WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (January 11, 2020)  – Junior Alec DiPietrantonio scored 22 points and matched a season-high with 15 rebounds, but the Stevens Institute of Technology fell to Wilkes University 58-55 in a MAC Freedom contest played at the Arnaud Marts Sports Center.

Leading scorer Spencer Cook was held to eight points on just 3 of 16 shooting for the Ducks, who fell to 10-3 on the year and to 1-1 in MAC Freedom play.

Mark Mullins had 18 points and Derek Heiserman came off the bench with 14 for the Colonels, who improved to 8-5. Wilkes is also 1-1 in conference contests.

DiPietrantonio, who saw his double-double streak come to an end in Stevens' victory over Delaware Valley earlier in the week, rebounded in a big way with his eighth of the season and provided more than half of the Ducks' offense in the first half. The junior center connected on his first eight attempts from the floor and accounted for 17 of Stevens' 31 first-half points. DiPietrantonio's first miss of the game was a layup on the Ducks' next-to-last possession in the opening period that hung on the rim for nearly five seconds before falling off. Of the Mount Laurel, New Jersey native's 15 rebounds, eight came on the offensive glass, which matched a career high.

Despite DiPietrantonio's performance in the game's first 20 minutes, Stevens' nine-point lead whittled down to just one at the intermission as Wilkes was able to climb back into the contest with Cook and DiPietrantonio on the bench in foul trouble. Mullins gave Wilkes its first lead since the first basket of the game with a fast-break three, but, DiPietrantonio converted a nifty Matt Crowley feed to reclaim the lead for the Ducks. 

A defensive slugfest, the teams combined for just 17 field goals on 54 attempts (29.8%) in the second half, including 5 of 17 (29.4%) from behind the arc. 

The Colonels opened as much as an eight-point lead in the second only to see Stevens pull within two on a DiPietrantonio layup. Stevens held Wilkes without a field goal over the final 6:31, but the Colonels went 6 for 6 from the line to secure the victory. For the game, Wilkes made 15 of its 16 free throws.

The Ducks had a chance to chance to force overtime, but Cook's three-point attempt rimmed out and Wilkes dribbled out the final seven seconds to close out the game.

Pivotal Point

• Tied at 36 after a Kevin Florio three, the Ducks were held to a single point over the next 4:43 as Wilkes built its eight-point lead. 
• Senior JoJo Mosca accounted for the only point during the key sequence with a free throw.
• A Cook layup ended Wilkes' run and pulled Stevens within six, but the Colonels would hold onto their lead over the remainder of the game.

Inside the Numbers

• Wilkes outshot Stevens 38.3% to 34.4, although Stevens held Wilkes to a season-low 58 points, which is 24 below the team's season average. The Ducks also held Wilkes' leading scorer, Rob Pecorelli to just nine points.
• Cook was held under double figures for the first time this season. He last failed to reach double digits against Nazareth on Jan. 19, 2018.
• The Ducks won the battle of the boards 39-36, including a 14-4 advantage on the offensive glass. The edge in offensive rebounds helped the Ducks gain a 6-2 edge in second-chance points.
• Crowley finished with a game-high four assists, while also nabbing a game-high four steals.
• Stevens failed to record a block for the first time since this season.

From the Court (Head Coach Bobby Hurley)

• "Wilkes played great today. They defended us really well and made the plays to win the game. We still have so many areas to improve on and hopefully this will help us as we move forward."

Up Next

• The Ducks return to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for the second time in five days for a matchup with King's (Pa.).
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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